Completing a construction project and getting more of your bids accepted as a contractor or subcontractor can be tedious. Just like in the projects you've completed in the past, proper planning is the pillar on which the success of your construction project rests. This is where a construction schedule comes in.
In this article, you'll learn what a construction schedule means, the purpose of a construction schedule, what should be included in a construction schedule and how a construction schedule is prepared. To make it even more useful, we share how to keep a construction project on schedule once you kick it off.
What Does a Construction Schedule Mean?
A construction schedule is a complete blueprint of the timeline of the activities, milestones, tasks and steps in the execution of a construction project leading to its final completion. In addition to outlining the timeline and how a project will move from start to finish, the construction schedule outlines the resources required, the teams, expertise and stakeholders involved and how you will allocate the resources.
Furthermore, the construction schedule outlines what each team member is responsible for. The construction schedule outlines the tasks that make up the project and the resources needed in the right order. It will aim to create a comprehensive guide you and all involved parties can refer to throughout the construction process for information about the various steps you need to take to complete the project.
Contractors prepare the construction schedule before building begins, as it informs how the entire construction project plays out.
What Is the Purpose of a Construction Schedule?
Having a construction schedule can provide several benefits to construction teams, offering more visibility and information throughout projects.
The eight advantages of construction scheduling for your projects include:
- Monitoring projects effectively: A clear and comprehensive construction schedule enables you to monitor the progress of your project from beginning to end. This is because clearly laid out tasks, timelines and milestones provide you and your team with a clear idea of how your project is moving along.
- Managing resources: In addition to timelines, a construction schedule includes resources and how you plan on using them. Proper preconstruction planning helps you to allocate and manage whatever you have at your disposal.
- Providing a more successful contract bidding experience: A strong construction schedule from the general contractor lets you know the timeline for the completion of a project and the physical, human and financial resources you need to do your part. This enables you to create proper project takeoffs and estimates when bidding for work. As a result, this can increase your chances of landing the contract.
- Achieving goals: A comprehensive construction schedule is the first step to achieving your construction goals and completing your project at the right time. Whether you want to prioritize efficiency or communication, a construction schedule can be the tool you need to support your objectives and initiatives and foster growth.
- Clarifying project direction: A construction schedule is what you fall back on to get direction on the next steps to take. When you complete a task or milestone, your construction schedule tells you what the next step is. Seeing the progress you and your team have made from your schedule gives you a sense of achievement and direction.
- Avoiding delays consistently: According to your schedule, you should know what you need to prepare for a future task. This enables you to provide the needed resources on time and complete the prerequisite needed for the next task.
- Reporting progress seamlessly: With your construction schedule, you can easily report the progress of your project and team to stakeholders, from the owner or GC of the project to regulatory agencies and financial institutions. This helps to keep all the stakeholders of your progress updated consistently on your project.
- Enabling quality assurance: Because you normally complete this schedule before starting the construction work, you ensure you are using the right tools and resources. This helps to ensure you do quality work and avoid substandard processes and materials from the outset.
What Should a Construction Schedule Include?
Construction schedules should be comprehensive resources with several types of information included in them. Before you implement a construction schedule system at your company, you should understand each element, so you can use them to their full potential.
Here are the five core parts of your construction schedule:
- Duration: Your construction schedule specifies the duration of your construction project from start to finish. It also specifies the timeline for individual tasks and milestones for the entire project. Present these timelines as specific dates and time durations, so information is clear and available for all stakeholders.
- Resources: Your construction project identifies the resources — financial, material and labor — needed for the project. It also specifies how you plan on assigning them to the different tasks and milestones for the project and when you will need them. Also, the construction schedule specifies who's responsible for the different parts of the project.
- Stakeholders: Your construction schedule includes the stakeholders on your team and specifies their responsibilities and duties in your project. This system can help boost communication, so each team member will understand everyone’s role and who they can go to with questions or concerns.
- Milestones: Milestones are significant accomplishments in the completion of your project. For example, this could be completing the electrical work for a construction project. Your schedule specifies all the milestones in your project in their sequential order.
- Tasks: Tasks are the individual activities your team needs to carry out. They are specific and add up to achieve your milestones and complete your project.
How to Create a Construction Schedule
Creating a construction schedule is arguably the best way to ensure your construction